#North American armadillos

[whatnext10]

Armadillos Don’t See Well, but They Have a Great Nose

Taking a Break On one of my recent trips to Watermelon Pond a pretty little nine banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) found me. I was hiking through the woods towards the water when it happened along. I say it found me because it came out of some heavy underbrush into the more open area where I was walking. It looked around, never saw me, and began to follow its nose around in search for some…

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

[beechersnope]

uhhhhhh no it isn't

[youngnatureexplorers]

https://www.youngnatureexplorers.com/armadillo-facts/

Armadillos are the only living mammals with bony shells.

This newcomer to the United States has spread from Mexico over the past 150 years. People have helped extend its range by transplanting it, possibly as food. It was deliberately introduced to Florida in the 1920’s and, mostly on its own, proceeded to become established over much of the state. Around the same time, Louisiana started to see a large number of armadillos. They are now found throughout the state.

In some cultures, armadillos have been consumed for centuries. The meat is said to taste like chicken or pork and may be cooked in various ways, such as grilling, stewing, or roasting.

Armadillos can carry diseases such as leprosy (Hansen’s disease), which can be transmitted to humans through direct contact with infected animals.

[hymemena]

North American Animal Character Asks

Feel free to change pronouns as necessary, and remember to specify muse for multimuse blogs.

CW: Murder mention

—

[American Eel] - What is the scummiest thing your muse does?

[Bald Eagle] - What does your muse dedicate themselves to wholeheartedly?

[Nine-Banded Armadillo] - Does your muse get overlooked often? How do they feel about their social standing?

[Elk] - Does your muse like to exercise? What is their favorite thing to do at the gym?

** [Canada Lynx]** - What weather is your muse's favorite? Least favorite?

[American Alligator] - When your muse is in a place they shouldn't be in or a situation that makes them uncomfortable, what is their first instinct?

[Moose] - What is your muse's pain tolerance like?

[Mountain Goat] - What would your muse kill for?

[Gila Monster] - Is there something about your muse that people don't expect?

[American Bison] - Does your muse like to be left alone?

[Pronghorn] - Where can your muse be found frequently that isn't their home or place of work?

[Grizzly Bear] - What is their sleep schedule like?

[Arctic Wolf] - What are your muse's ideal surroundings? What is the temperature? Do they have certain scents there? Describe their happy place.

[Beaver] - Does your muse like to work with their hands? Why or why not?

[American Flamingo] - Does your muse like to blend in or stand out?

[mariacallous]

It should come as no surprise that Nigella Lawson, who nicknamed her microwave the mee-cro-wah-vay and regularly refers to pomegranate seeds as “ruby jewels,” has her own name for rugelach: scuffles.

“Scuffles,” the British television cook and proclaimed food writer explains in a recent YouTube recipe tutorial, “is the really delightful American name for an even more delightful Ukrainian pastry, rohalyky. Now if you’ve ever encountered rugelach, you’ll know what they are, but think like doll’s-house-sized croissants.”

So much to unpack here.

As a Brit, I regularly have to turn to my North American colleagues for insight into the food habits and psyche of those across the pond, but only a few had heard of scuffles. Hmm. Further research online revealed that scuffles are a fairly popular Canadian Christmas pastry. A rugelach by any other name would taste as sweet, I concluded, and moved on.

… But not very far. 

I was as thrown by the term “scuffles” as I was by Nigella’s pronunciation of rugelach, with its long “oo” like in “arugula,” which is different to the way it’s typically pronounced in the U.K.: rog-a-lach. Ultimately, I reasoned that we’re probably all pronouncing it wrong and there was no need to be petty. 

Regional differences resolved, I whiled away a happy hour researching the origins of rugelach and their relationship to Ukranian rohalyky. Turns out, they’re essentially the same pastry, which has long been enjoyed across Eastern Europe by non-Jews and Jews, who called them “rugelach” in Yiddish. 

Finally, I addressed Nigella’s description: “doll’s-house-sized croissants,” concluding it’s a bit of a stretch given that 1) her recipe does not call for a laminated dough, 2) you rarely come across cinnamon croissants and 3) neither rohalyky nor rugelach are French. Later in the video, Nigella likens her scuffles to “miniature armadillos,” which if you squint, or live inside Lawson’s kitschy brain (and how I often wish I did), is much more plausible. 

Still with me? (Fellow Virgos, I know you are.) Time to dissect Nigella’s recipe, which you can find on the website of upmarket British online grocery store, Ocado. 

In a pleasant turn of events, I have few complaints. The scuffles are easier and simpler than most rugelach recipes I’ve come across; on the video tutorial, Nigella even makes the pastries by hand, no mixer required. And you could argue that Nigella’s scuffles are a gratifying hybrid of American- and Isreali-style rugelach. Like Israeli rugelach, she adds yeast to her dough — but unlike the babka-esque Israeli dough, hers doesn’t need to rise. Like American rugelach, she enriches her dough, calling for sour cream rather than the typical cream cheese. 

And then, in true Nigella style, she ever-so casually turned my world upside down.

After chilling for an hour or two, ’twas time to roll out the dough — but not in flour. No, in a technique that Lawson correctly calls “fascinating and revelatory,” she rolls out each quarter of dough in cinnamon sugar. 

“Geometrists, please turn away because I’m going to describe this as a circle,” Nigella quips as she displays a sparkling disc encrusted in warm, scented sugar (I imagine she might say), which she then cuts, pizza-style, into small triangles (Nigella, use a pizza cutter not a knife, it’s much easier!), rolls up into “enchanting” pastries that may or may not resemble “teeny-tiny croissants” (see above), and bakes. 

Having told us her recipe feeds a crowd (64 scuffles, to be exact), which I think we can all agree is very Jewish, Nigella then recommends serving the pastries with ice cream, which is… not very Jewish.

Sadly, as with the entire Ocado YouTube series, we do not get to see Nigella eating a scuffle, nor even sneaking into the kitchen in the middle of the night in a silk nightgown to snatch a couple from the jar. But in the absence of a television show (how much longer must we wait for you to grace our screens once again, Nigella?), this will have to do. 

I’ll pass on the ice cream but — just as I always cover my rising bread dough with a leopard-print shower cap and double-butter my toast (once when the toast is warm, so it melts; once when the toast is a little cooler, so it coats the surface) — I shall, forevermore, roll out my rugelach dough in cinnamon sugar, just like Nigella does.

[newlabdakos]

Glyptodon

(temporal range: 3.200-0.011 mio. years ago)

[text from the Wikipedia article, see also link above]

Glyptodon (from Greek for "grooved or carved tooth": γλυπτός "sculptured" and ὀδοντ-, ὀδούς "tooth")[1] is a genus of glyptodont (an extinct group of large, herbivorous armadillos) that lived from the Pliocene, around 3.2 million years ago,[2] to the early Holocene, around 11,000 years ago, in Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, and Colombia. It is one of, if not the, best known genus of glyptodont. Glyptodon has a long and storied past, being the first named extinct cingulate and the type genus of the glyptodonts. Fossils of Glyptodon have been recorded as early as 1814 from Pleistocene aged deposits from Uruguay, though many were incorrectly referred to the ground sloth Megatherium by early paleontologists.

The type species, G. clavipes, was described in 1839 by notable British paleontologist Sir Richard Owen. Later in the 19th century, dozens of complete skeletons were unearthed from localities and described by paleontologists such as Florentino Ameghino and Hermann Burmeister. During this era, many species of Glyptodon were dubbed, some of them based on fragmentary or isolated remains. Fossils from North America were also assigned to Glyptodon, but all of them have since been placed in the closely related genus Glyptotherium. It was not until the later end of the 1900s and 21st century that full review of the genus came about, restricting Glyptodon to just five species under one genus.

Glyptodonts were typically large, quadrapedral (four-legged), herbivorous armadillos with armored carapaces (top shell) that were made of hundreds of interconnected osteoderms (structures in dermis composed of bone). Other pieces of armor covered the tails and skull roofs, the skull being tall with hypsodont (high-crowned) teeth. As for the postcranial anatomy, pelves fused to the carapace, an amalgamate vertebral column, short limbs, and small digits are found in glyptodonts. Glyptodon reached up to 2 meters (6.56 feet) long and 400 kilograms (880 pounds) in weight, making it one of the largest glyptodonts but not as large as its close relative Glyptotherium or Doedicurus, the largest known glyptodont. Glyptodon is morphologically and phylogenetically most similar to Glyptotherium, however they differ in several ways. Glyptodon is larger on average, with an elongated carapace, a relatively shorter tail, and a robust zygoma, or cheek bone.

Glyptodonts existed for millions of years, though Glyptodon itself was one its last surviving members. Glyptodon was one of many South American megafauna, with many native groups such as notoungulates and ground sloths reaching immense sizes. Glyptodon had a mixed diet of grasses and other plants, instead living at the edge forests and grasslands where the shrubbery was lower. Glyptodon had a wide muzzle, an adaptation for bulk feeding. The armor could have protected the animal from predators, of which many coexisted with Glyptodon, including the "saber-tooth cat" Smilodon, the large dog relative Protocyon, and the giant bear Arctotherium.

[sinosauropteryx--prima]

National Fossil: Mexico

It was a very tight race for the title of National Fossil of Canada, but in the end Anomalocaris (28,3 %) won over Tiktaalik (26,7 %) and Borealopelta (23,3 %). So this week you can vote on what should be Mexico‘s National Fossil.

Again: it could be a fossil that is just exceptionally well preserved and beautiful, had a huge impact on paleontology and our knowledge of the past, is very common/representative of the area, is beloved and famous in the public eye, is just a very unique and interesting find, or has any other justification.

My suggestions:

Mexican Amber: Okay, this one isn‘t technically a fossil, but I think amber is always a very unique window into the past, showing us exceptionally well preserved specimen of some the tiny and fragile things that often get overlooked. Mexican amber is from the Miocene and many insects and other arthropod species have been described from it

Columbian mammoth: Very recently the largest known fossil site for mammoths (Mammoth Central) has been discovered during airport constructions near Mexico city. More than 200 specimen have been found here, which is more than 3 times the amount of material found in the next biggest site

Eremotherium: One of the biggest ground sloths ever, they are among the originally South American animal groups that established themselves in North America after the two continents connected (Art by Gabriel Ugueto)

Glyptotherium: The giant armored armadillo-cousin is another one of the animals that migrated into North America after it connected to South America

Megalodon: There are many marine fossil sites in Mexico and some include Megalodon, the famous extinct shark and terrifying movie monster (my only problem with this is that Megalodon had a global distribution, so assigning it to one country feels a bit like cheating)

Monster of Aramberri: Speaking of giant sea monsters, here is a bit of a wild card. The “Monster of Aramberri“ are the remains of a giant pliosaur, possibly related to Kronosaurus. Even though it has been discovered in the 80s, the mysterious fossil still has not been formally described, but it is estimated to be among the biggest pliosaurs that ever lived (Art by Dmitri Bogdanov)

PS: I had a much harder time finding suggestions for Mexico than I did with the US and Canada. I‘m sure I missed some good ones. I also didn‘t include any dinosaurs because from what I could find most of them are either much better known from other countries, are disputed species or are very recent and don‘t feel “well known“ enough.

[brainsforbabyjesus]

Tumblr: several days into mass hallucination of a 1973 mafia movie.

Me: You don’t understand, ancient canines managed to co-exist with north/south american megafauna for thousands of years, so if humans never existed but dogs still evolved to be dogs there are probably still 1 ton giant armadillos roaming around in the world of Bluey,

[fbenvs3000w23]

The Most Amazing thing about Nature: the Arctic Tern

There are so many amazing things about nature, so it was very difficult to settle on just one topic. As a wildlife biologist, I know a lot of cool animal facts and characteristics. How does one pick between a venomous mammal and bullet-resistant armadillos? Or the various ways reptiles survive freezing temperatures, such as having antifreeze in their blood like painted turtles or drying out their organs and freezing 60% of their bodies like wood frogs?

There are so many fascinating behavioural and biological adaptations to sort through that I could travel to the ends of the earth and still not find the most amazing one.

“To the ends of the earth.” 

Wait a second; that might just be it! The story of a tiny little bird who spends its life doing just that: the Arctic tern!

Image credits: Barni1 (2015).

The Arctic tern is a small seabird known for its incredibly long yearly migration that takes them, literally, to both ends of the earth. Each year, during this migration, they will travel over 40,000km, making theirs’ one of the longest migrations of any animal on earth (Ramroop & West, 2022).

Distribution range and migration routes of the Arctic Tern (nesting region in red):

Picture by Andreas Trepte (n.d.)

How do they do it? Arctic terns have unique adaptations that allow them to be incredible migrators. Their wing shape and lightweight bodies enable them to glide great distances carried by the ocean breeze without expelling much energy (Ramroop & West, 2022). Additionally, they can eat and even sleep while gliding in the air (Ramroop & West, 2022).

Image credits: Canadian-Nature-Visions (2022)

Now, you may wonder why this bird, which weighs slightly less than a quarter-pound burger, is willing to travel such miraculous distances each year (Trepte, n.d.). Well, much like the Beatles’ 5th track on their 1964 album, Beatles for Sale, they “… Follow the Sun.”

In doing so, these birds are constantly perusing summer. As you may know, the seasons are caused by Earth’s tilted axis as it revolves around the sun (Mika, n.d.). As a result, Earth’s northern and southern hemispheres are experiencing opposite seasons at any given time of year. During North American winters, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, making it colder and darker in areas north of the equator. At the same time, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted towards the sun, making it warmer and brighter in areas south of the equator. The duration of daylight also changes depending on the season, especially in areas furthest from the equator (Mika, n.d.). During the summer, the Arctic and Antarctic get nearly 24hrs of sunlight. Conversely, in the winter, it is almost entirely dark. There are less noticeable temperature changes between the seasons in these areas than in other regions. Thus, the Arctic tern is not following the summer heat, as we may have envied. But instead, they are following the summer light (Ramroop & West, 2022).

Arctic terns rely on sunlight to illuminate the ground and ocean surface to see their prey (fish and insects) more clearly (Ramroop & West, 2022). By experiencing the ~24 hr-light of the Arctic and Antarctic summers, the Arctic Tern may experience more daylight than any other animal on earth (Ramroop & West, 2022). Their migration also allows them to take advantage of the good weather that accompanies summer, as it is beneficial to their method of flying. Terns rely so much on good weather and sunny conditions that they will fly thousands of miles out of their way to take advantage of the best weather and acquire the best food (Ramroop & West, 2022).

This post just scratches the surface of how amazing this tiny explorer is. The Arctic tern undoubtedly exemplifies one of nature's most impressive feats.

Google Earth tour of the Arctic tern’s migration:

Video credits: Encyclopedia of Life (2012).

References:

Barni1. (2015). Glacial lake birds to hunt fish [Image]. Pixabay. https://pixabay.com/photos/glacial-lake-birds-to-hunt-fish-889783/

Canadian-Nature-Visions. (2022). Arctic tern Sambro Island nesting. Pixabay. https://pixabay.com/photos/arctic-tern-sambro-island-nesting-6922063/

Encyclopedia of Life. (2012). Arctic tern migration Google Earth tour video [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bte7MCSBZvo&ab_channel=EncyclopediaofLife

Kaufman, K. (n.d.). Arctic tern: Sterna paradisaea. Audubon. https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/arctic-tern#

Mika, A. (n.d.). The reason for the seasons. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/activity/the-reason-for-the-seasons/

Ramroop, T., & West, K. (2022). To the ends of the earth: Article on the annual migration of the arctic tern. National Geographic Society. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/ends-earth/

Trepte, A. (n.d.). Distribution range and migration routes of the arctic tern [Image]. Cool Antarctica. https://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/wildlife/Arctic_animals/arctic_tern.php#:~:text=arctic%20tern%20facts%20Basics,(26%20%2D%2030%20inches)

[whatnext10]

Armadillos Like to Check Out Their Surroundings Often

Check it Out Even though they are covered in somewhat protective armor, nine banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) tend to be cautious little animals. They don’t see very well (look at how tiny those eyes are), but they have incredible noses. Frequently, before they go into an area, they will stop and smell the air as their way of looking out for predators. That’s what this little armadillo…

[scienceambersandfantasy]

Speculative Animals

Quadropedis Gigaavis

Sapient pig

Giant Goose

The Aboropod

Flumenequus

Giant Armadillo

Future Sloths

The North American Cupacabra (Carnotroel ambulapterya)

Callidusavis

u/TortoiseMan20419

[nanas-45]

Titanis: North America's Ancient Terror Bird

Meet Titanis, a colossal terror bird that once roamed North America during the Pliocene and earliest Pleistocene epochs. Named after the Greek Titans, this formidable predator was a member of the extinct phorusrhacid family, also known as “terror birds.” 🌍

A Colossal Presence

Discovered by amateur archaeologists Benjamin Waller and Robert Allen in Florida’s Santa Fe River and named Titanis walleri in 1963 by ornithologist Pierce Brodkorb, Titanis was among the largest of its kind. The fossils found include only a fragmentary right tarsometatarsus (a lower leg bone) and a phalanx (a toe bone), but they hint at an impressive size. 🌿🦴

With a height estimated between 1.4 to 2 meters (4.6 to 6.6 ft) and a body mass over 300 kilograms (660 lb), Titanis was a towering figure in its ecosystem. Though its anatomy is partially known due to fragmentary fossils, its skull was estimated to be between 36 cm (14 in) and 56 cm (22 in) long, making it one of the largest known bird skulls.

Terror Bird Traits

Like its phorusrhacid relatives, Titanis had long, powerful hind limbs, a lightweight pelvis, and a large skull with a hooked beak. It was likely an apex predator or scavenger, dominating its environment just as phorusrhacids had in South America before the Great American Interchange. 🏞️🔍

Titanis stood out for its slender, elongated tarsometatarsus, similar to the agile Kelenken. This suggests it might have been swift and capable of high-speed pursuits. Research on related species indicates that these birds had very robust skulls, enabling them to handle high-stress feeding behaviors, possibly swallowing small prey whole or delivering repeated strikes to larger prey.

An Ancient Apex Predator

During its time, Titanis shared its habitat with a diverse range of megafauna in North America, including giant armadillos like Holmesina and Glyptotherium, as well as equids, tapirs, and capybaras. Its impressive size and predatory skills made it a significant predator in the Pliocene savannas. 🌾🦓

What makes Titanis particularly fascinating is that it’s the only phorusrhacid known from North America, having crossed over from South America during the Great American Interchange. Its presence in North America adds a remarkable chapter to the story of prehistoric predators and their adaptations to new environments.

[madanimalscientist]

I do Skype a Scientist and I often get asked to share cool animal facts with students. This past week some elementary schoolers from a school in the Middle East asked me what I thought was a cool animal defense mechanism. The teacher was from the USA. I am from the USA, though I live in Australia now (and we'd previously talked about how animals adapt to live in urban environments and how desert animals and arctic animals differ, it was a fun session).

I told them about skunks. I BLEW THEIR MINDS.

Me: imagine a raccoon with built-in pepper spray

Kids: WHOAAAAA

I have had quite a bit of personal experience with skunks bc of where I lived in the USA and skunks, bears, armadillos are the North American species I get asked about the most by Aussies. And I told them about the dog we had growing up who looooved the scent of skunk spray so much she'd either find skunk roadkill to roll around in or go pick fights with skunks bc she just thought it was the best smelling thing ever. (her worst habit - we used to have to sneak up on her, dump doggy shampoo on her, and chase her round the back yard with the hose). They thought this was the coolest thing ever, they were so excited.

Conversely when I traveled to Canada this year for work I amused one of my bosses (Canadian) because I was so stoked to see a moose at the Calgary Zoo. I then amused the zookeeper by being massively excited about seeing a moose IRL.

It's all relative XD But also it's legit one of my fav things about doing Skype a Scientist, getting kids excited with cool animal facts is so fun. And what is 'normal' to me living down here is super exotic/cool to people from other areas, which I love.

Sometimes I see some variety of North American Little Guy (opossum, raccoon, etc. ) and I’m like “okay”

BUT THEN I start thinking about how excited somebody from not-North-America would be to see this Guy. Like, would an Australian be excited to see the only marsupial not from their country? Are there raccoons in zoos on the other side of the world that are regarded as unique and exotic creatures? Idk but it’s made me more excited to see Guys in my area.

[avenusbeetle]

i love america. not the country specifically, i mean the continent of north america. i love the place i live in so much. seeing the native species makes me so happy. it’s so terrible that we have such complex issues trampling all our nice things, it’s terrible that the south is known for being bigoted when we’re one of the most vulnerable places in the country. specifically the north american southeast is so gorgeous to me, i’ve been living here so long. we have SO many plants you could never even dream up.

we have giant leopard moths, giant wasps, silly weevils, junebugs, MOLE CRICKETS?? magical-looking creatures you would never think would be under a rock in the middle of nowhere in a red state. we have an abundance of raccoons to where they’re considered pests, but they’re the second-closest thing to a red panda. we have ARMADILLOS! i don’t understand how anyone gets bored of living here, i don’t ever want to permanently abandon it. the way things are going, it seems like it’s not the place for me.. but it’s my place. the government obviously hasn’t considered that this is MY place, and i won’t be going anywhere 💀 all of my favorite plants are here. we have red-winged blackbirds and brown-headed cowbirds. literally why would i leave. we have wild irises and trout lilies. spiderwort?? oh my god. all the violets. all of them

[nexus-nebulae]

[Image ID: A snippet from the article "The Trees That Miss The Mammoths" by Whit Bronaugh for American Forests magazine. It reads, "If not for the end-Pleistocene extinctions just 13,000 years ago, there would still be another 40 species of North American megafauna. They would include five species of deer or moose, two llamas, a camel, three horses, four ground-sloths ranging from 400 pounds to 3 tons, a 600-pound armadillo, a 2,000-pound turtle-like glyptodont, two ox-like species, a 5-ton mastodon, a 6-ton woolly mammoth, and a 9-ton Columbian mammoth. Did I mention the 400-pound beaver? Before you jump into your time machine for a true North American safari, be advised that there were also scimitar-cats, American lions, and sabertooths, each as big as or bigger than an African lion. There were three huge bears, including the 1,800-pound giant short-faced bear, the largest mammalian predator that ever walked the Earth." End ID.]

take me to the pliestocene. i wanna see the big beafts